Centre technical experts

Nanet Willumsen
Senior Research Technician - MAP lab

Maria Tsalenchuk
PhD student - Marzi lab

Reuben Yaa
Postdoc - Nott lab

Where: Level 7 Sir Michael Uren Hub, White City Campus
Technique: Flow Cytometry
Manufacturer: BD Biosciences
View product webpage

The BD FACSMelody is a 9-colour high-speed cell sorter with three lasers (Violet 405nm, Blue 488nm and Red 640nm), a fixed optical alignment and a pressure-driven fluidics system. It uses flow cytometry techniques to separate cells for downstream interrogation of distinct cell populations. ​

The instrument creates a single flow of cells and uses up to 3 lasers to define a set of characteristic cell properties for subsequent selective labelling with an electric charge. This allows the cells to be separated through their electrostatic deflection.

How temperature and circadian rhythms intersect to regulate a protein shown to protect against neurodegeneration

A new study led by Dr Marco Brancaccio (UK DRI at Imperial) and Dr Marieke Hoekstra (former UK DRI at Imperial, now VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research) offers a deeper insight into how a neuroprotective pathway is regulated both by temperature and the body clock. This research, published in the journal PNAS, could open up new therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative disease. Read more on the UK DRI website

Introducing Cynthia Sandor: Pioneering earlier detection of Parkinson’s

Dr Cynthia Sandor, former Emerging Leader at the UK DRI at Cardiff, joins the UK DRI at Imperial as a Group Leader, where she will be tackling early diagnosis of Parkinson’s. 

With a background in genetics, Dr Sandor uses computational methods to bring greater understanding to the underlying molecular mechanisms of Parkinson’s. Read more about Cynthia's work on the UK DRI website.

UK DRI